I have written this post to describe the top reasons why people failed PMP exam. This post is useful for you if you are thinking “what if i fail pmp exam”. But who are thinking “i failed the pmp exam now what” will also find it useful.

It is sad but PMP exam failure rate is very high.

Some aspirants do not get through in their first attempt. You might have heard about people who failed in their second and third try also. In fact, I have heard about people who did not even pass in their 4th try.

You should not despair if you have already failed the PMP Exam. It is not the end of the world. You might not have cleared the certification test but it does not mean that you will not get through next time.

A large percentage of aspirants do not succeed. You must get up and study for the certification exam again. This post will provide you with right ingredients for passing the exam.

Why Aspirants Failed PMP Exam & How Can You Avoid It?

PMP Failure Rate

Do you know how many people flunk the PMP credential test? What is the failure rate?

No one really knows what percentage of people fail except for folks at PMI. But that should not concern you. You should be worried only about your studies and exam prep with the ultimate objective of cracking the test.

You should avoid the mistakes that people have done in the past.

I have compiled a list of must do’s for the success in PMP exam. Here goes.

Formula For PMP Success

1. Must Study The PMBOK Guide

The exam is not entirely based on the PMBOK Guide, but the Guide is an important resource for passing the exam. Some people don’t read the Guide or just study it superficially. You should read the PMBOK Guide at least once to increase the chances of your success.

There are many good reference books for the PMP exam prep. You can determine which one is the best for you. But no other book or study material shoud replace the PMBOK Guide. If you decide to study from a reference book, then you can study it along with the Guide. You can also study the Guide after completing your chosen reference book.

You should, under no circumstance, skip the PMBOK Guide. It is important to understand PMI’s terminology, concepts and language to successfully crack the exam.

2. Must Attend A Formal 35 Hours Training Program

You must attend a formal PMP training. It can greatly enhance your chances of passing.

Some others attend a cheap training program for the sake of getting 35 contact hours.

By doing these things, you can certainly save some money. But the cost of not attending a good training program could prove to be very high.

I would recommend you to attend a formal boot camp the exam prep. A boot camp program has many benefits over other type of courses. But, if you feel that the fee for a good boot camp is prohibitively high, then you should attend an online self-learning program.

3. Must Have A Focused & Disciplined Study Approach

I have noticed that many people study without a plan – they do not prepare a time schedule, they study from any study material that they can get hold of, they go off studies for for many days etc.

If you fail to plan then you are planning to fail.

To successfully pass, you should start by preparing a proper time-table and choose your study sources carefully. You should not have gaps in-between your studies unless there is a strong genuine reason. Every time there is a gap, you would need to put in extra effort to re-ignite your motivation.

4. Uee Free Web-resources Judiciously

You should study only from reliable free resources.

I am not against free web-resources. This blog is also free. However, not all free resources are equal – some free resources are good but many others have questionable information. Do not just google something and start studying from it. There are many resources on the Internet, which are not entirely correct.

You should study only from trustworthy sources. While studying, you can follow 2-3 independent blogs and do some free questions from reputed training companies.

5. Must Do Enough Practice Exams

You should solve many questions from reliable sources before you take the exam. As per my experience, you should practice at least 2000 questions before appearing for the PMP exam.

6. Understand PMBOK Guide’s Concepts And ITTO

You should thoroughly understand the concepts written in the PMBOK Guide including Inputs, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs (ITTO).

Most of the exam questions are situational questions. A pure memorization of definitions, processes and ITTO will surely lead to failure.

Many people are fearful of ITTO. But, you don;t have to worry. I have written series of ITTO articles and developed comprehensive learning strategies to help you. You can start by downloading free ITTO process chart.

13. Do Not Over-rely On Personal Experience

You should not use your own personal project management experience while answering the PMP questions.

The PMBOK Guide is written in a certain way. You can use your project management experience to study and understand the Guide’s concepts. But, do not use the same experience while answering the questions. You should deviate from the concepts written in the Guide.

14. Use English Language Study Material For The Exam Prep

All PMI examinations are conducted in English. You will have some disadvantage if English is not your native language.

But this should not become your excuse for failing the PMP Exam. You should spend more time for the exam prep to overcome this handicap.

PMI does provide language aids (at no additional cost) to non-English speaking aspirants. You can request for your preferred language aid before the exam. These language aids translate English questions to your preferred language.

Although language aids are available and you don’t have to pay anything extra, I would suggest that you should not use these aids. During the exam you are pressed for time and you do not want to waste precious moments for translating an English question to your native language.

You may request language aid before the exam but try to avoid using them. It is better to be prepared upfront for the English exam.

15. Don’t Take The Exam Before You Are Ready

This is a tricky one. No one knows if she/he is ready for an exam. Any exam.

But you are in luck. You should read my article best way to determine PMP Exam passing score to check your readiness for the exam. If you are not ready, then it is better to postpone your exam date (even if it means losing some money).

Praveen Malik, PMP

​Praveen Malik ​is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) with a rich 23+ years of experience. He is a leading Project Management Instructor, Coach and ​Advisor. He ​has successfully trained thousands of aspirants for the PM certification exams.

The pattern change happened in January 2016. But it should not bother an aspirant now. You just need to study the new study material and ignore the old material.

However, even if you have old study material then also you should not worry. The changes are small. You can study the old material along with the new RDS. Other option is to attend a formal training again – 6 Reasons To Do A PMP Training Again (https://www.pmbypm.com/pmp-training-again/)

Leave a reply:

Sir ! In my last attempt, i lost it due to situation based (or scenario based) questions where more than one option seems to be correct. These questions are pretty subjective in nature. How to prepare for them ?

Leave a reply:

It’s a detailed blog with loads of info for anyone to grab & prepare. May I know if you have documented anything around the recent changes to PMP examination pattern? If yes do we need to change in the above strategies?

The PMBOK Guide, which is he main reference book for the the exam, has changed but the exam structure remains the same. The strategy for exam prep remain same and this is a current article. Hope t helps.